'Pradhan Mantri ke aane se kya...': Kharge's jibe at PM Modi ahead of his no-confidence motion reply

Hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to reply to the no-confidence motion brought by the Opposition to corner the government over the Manipur violence, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday took a swipe at PM Modi asking if he was a god and what would happen with his arrival.

"...Pradhan Mantri ke aane se kya hone wala hai, kya parmatma hai woh? Yeh koi bhagwan nahi hai," quipped the Congress chief in Rajya Sabha after he was apparently provoked by members of the Treasury benches.

Opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc members in Rajya Sabha proposed a discussion on Manipur under a rule that requires a resolution to be passed in the House but the ruling parties opposed their demand for the Prime Minister's presence, forcing an adjournment in the pre-lunch session.

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The Opposition parties had till now been calling for a debate under Rule 267, which entails voting, and a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government has been insisting since the start of the Monsoon session on a short-duration discussion under Rule 176, which does not involve voting or any minister replying to the debate.

On Thursday, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge requested Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to allow a discussion under Rule 167 in the Prime Minister's presence.

This led to a ruckus in the House, forcing the chairman to adjourn the proceedings till 2 pm.

PM Modi is going to take part in discussion on no-confidence motion at around 4 pm today, according to reports.

The Opposition had been demanding the Prime Minister to speak on the Manipur issue in Parliament.

Parliament witnessed a fierce debate in the last two days with the Opposition accusing the government of creating a great divide in Manipur. The government, however, defended its actions, focusing primarily on its welfare work.

Addressing the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi questioned why the Prime Minister has not visited Manipur yet.

"The Prime Minister has not gone to Manipur because he doesn't consider it a part of India. You (BJP) have divided Manipur," he said amid loud protests from the Treasury benches.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah clarified the government's efforts in addressing the Manipur violence and alleged the no-confidence motion was brought to "mislead people".

With inputs from agencies